AVA'S POV
I woke to warmth.
Not the kind that blankets you from head to toe, but the kind that pulses from a body nearby.
The kind that reminds you you're not alone.
Ethan's arm was draped loosely over my waist, his breath slow and even against the back of my neck.
The early morning light had barely
touched the edges of the windows, yet I lay there wide awake, too afraid to move, too afraid to stay still.
The silence between us had changed.
It wasn't empty now. It was..., waiting.
I turned carefully, facing him. His eyes remained closed, his expression unguarded. Vulnerable, even.
A version of him I hadn't seen before, not in boardrooms, not during photo ops, not even during those rare moments of civil conversation.
He looked young.
Human.
I studied his face, the faint lines near his eyes, the way his lashes brushed his skin, and for a second, I wondered what he dreamed about.
